The Darkness Makes the Light Shine
by worldcrabination
Summary: Boarding School, Malec AU! When Alec's father sends him to a boarding school, he feels more out of place than ever before. He tries to hide in the shadows, not wanting to stand out. But what happens when his roommate just so happens to be the most "out there" student of all? And not only that, but resident bad boy of the school as well?
1. Intro: Alec

**Hi! This is actually my first time writing any type of fan fiction, and honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that it's a Malec one! I really would love any constructive criticism, so please don't hold back! I hope you enjoy! Also, this chapter is much, _much_ shorter than future chapters will be; consider this more of an introduction.**

"And this is your dorm room, where you'll be living for the remainder of the school year. Each room has its own bathroom, a moderately sized walk in closet…"

Alec sighed as he looked around the dorm room, no longer paying attention to his new dean as he pointed out each and every aspect of the room. He still couldn't believe that his father sent him here, in the middle of his senior year, no less. All he wanted to do was lay down, and maybe not wake up for a while. The dean, who stood next to the boy, clapped his hands and turned to face Alec with a smile on his face.

"Well, that's all there is you need to know! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Oh! Here," he handed Alec a stack of papers, "these are just some school policies, and your schedule is some where in there as well. You start class tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning, don't be late!" And with that, he left the room, leaving Alec to be alone with his thoughts.

The moment the door shut he dropped his bag onto one of the beds, going straight to the bathroom to freshen up.

After taking his time to brush his teeth, wash his face, and change into his pajamas, he finally looked at the mirror. Alec's normally bright blue eyes seemed dull, whether it's due to his tiredness or his bad mood though, he wasn't too sure. The fluorescent lighting in the bathroom only made his already pale skin seem nearly translucent, the contrast between it and his strikingly dark hair even sharper now.

_I need to rest,_ the boy thought, letting his eyes fall from the mirror as he stepped out of the bathroom and to his bed. _Let's just hope this isn't as bad as I'm expecting it to be._

And with that last thought, Alec's head hit the pillow and sleep came almost instantly. After the passed few days, he was exhausted, and nothing could wake him up anytime soon.

Not even his roommate finally entering.


	2. Intro: Magnus

**Wow guys! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means a whole lot to me and I'm absolutely ecstatic about the wonderful feedback I've gotten. Like the first chapter, this one is also WAY shorter than I ever intend to make other ones, but I promise this will be the last one this short!  
**

Magnus smiled as he walked through the gates of The Institute of Academic Achievements, the school that he had been attending since freshman year. He always liked this place; it was better than his other options. And besides, the rule enforcement here was a joke, which meant he get away with anything.

In fact, Magnus was currently a very good example of what kind of things the school always let slide. First of all, the rules state that on school nights, every student must stay on campus and be in their dorms by 10:00 pm the latest. Yet here Magnus was, the time being far past midnight with school the next morning, and he is only just returning to the school grounds.

Secondly, all students are required to be dressed in appropriate clothing on the school premises. This includes no overly tight or see-through pieces, both of which Magnus happened to be wearing. His jeans were skin tight, almost as if they had been painted on, and left nothing to the imagination. The tanned skin of Magnus' legs peaked through the stylish slits cut in his jeans, as if his shirt wasn't revealing enough. It was made of a green, mesh fabric, clearly only being worn as a fashion statement rather than a covering. The color of his shirt brought out the ring of green around the pupils of his otherwise golden eyes.

And lastly, Magnus was drunk. Not that it was a big deal; he usually was after he went to his nightly parties. He's even been caught once or twice before, though the dean let him off with hardly a slap on the wrist.

Finally he made it to the student rooming building and he walked inside, acting like he owned the place. Magnus even chuckled under his breath when the security guard asked him for his ID card, probably to write him up for being so late. _What an idiot. He tries to write me up every day, _Magnus snorted as he stepped into the elevator and hit the button for his floor.

He leaned against the wall of the elevator, closing his eyes. _Next time, _he thought, _maybe I shouldn't drink so much. _The doors open and Magnus, with a shake of his head, stepped out and walked down the hall to his room, unlocking the door and stepping into the darkness. Magnus didn't even bother to turn the light on, he knew his way around the room well enough. Lacking the desire to do much more, he stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his usual bed.

Too intoxicated to realize there was another body beside him.


	3. Chapter 1

_Alec took a deep breath as he looked down at his hands, eventually getting the courage to look up at his parents. They stared back at him, lovingly and concerned, as they had been for all of his life._

_Or at least how they had acted while anyone else was looking. _

_"Mom, Dad… I've been thinking about this for a long time," Alec gulped, suddenly losing every ounce of bravery he had in his body. _

_"What is it, Alexander?" His mother reached out to place her hand on top of his. The action should have been comforting, but it only made Alec want to run from the table and as far away as possible._

_"I, I just…" Alec bit his lip, his eyes darting around the room before they landed on his fathers. They weren't as warm as his mothers had been, and he wanted to look away, yet for some reason he couldn't. "I'm-"_

Alec woke up very suddenly and he took deep breaths to calm himself. To anyone else, his dream probably wouldn't even be considered a nightmare, and maybe he himself couldn't even consider it as one either. After all, it was more of his mind torturing him with his own memories, and he's glad he woke up before it could get worse.

With a quiet sigh, Alec closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillow, willing himself to get at least a few more minutes of sleep. He had almost forgotten where he was, and waking up in such an unfamiliar place certainly wasn't helping his nerves. Just as he was drifting off into unconsciousness, he suddenly became very aware of someone lying next to him.

Alec, much to his embarrassment, let out a frightened yelp as he rolled off the bed, landing onto the floor with a thump. _Who the hell…_ He sat up and quickly reached over to turn on the bedside lamp.

Once the light illuminated the room, his eyes widened in disbelief. _There is a man in my bed. There is a shirtless man in my bed and—oh crap, he's waking up!_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Magnus slept soundly through the night, which was only up until he started hearing noises. First it sounded like someone screamed, followed quickly by the sound of something hitting the floor. _What in Gods name are my neighbors doing at this time of night?! Don't they know that some people have hangovers to try to survive through?_

He almost considered going to knock on their door and giving them a piece of his mind. Obviously they would do what he said, no one defied Magnus Bane. Just as he was about to pull the covers over his face, a light flicked on in his room, causing his eyes to snap open.

The blue eyes that greeted him was, pleasant, but mostly a surprise to Magnus. He hadn't remembered bringing anyone back from that party last night… Though he had to admit, with a face like the boy sitting on the floor of his room, he wasn't about to complain.

Barely containing a smirk, Magnus groaned tiredly as he stretched his arms above his head. "You know, I can't say I remember what we did last night. Want to refresh my memory, gorgeous?"

The blush that rewarded his words to the boy was very satisfying, and Magnus raised an eyebrow at him, awaiting a response.

"You… I… What?!" _Well would you look at that, Blue Eyes is speechless already? I am known to have that affect on people. Oh, he's talking again. _"Who the hell are you and why are you in my bed?" _Wait, what? Did he just call this his bed?_

"Sweetie," Magnus practically purred as he spoke, "I think you're a little confused. This is my bed, but you're welcome to come up here and share." He leaned off the bed a bit, putting his face closer to Alec's. "Also, my name is Magnus. Magnus Bane. And you are?"

The pale skinned boy backed away slightly and looked away from Magnus. His dark hair, messy from sleep, fell into his eyes as he shook his head. "I don't see how that is any of your business… This is my room, the dean assigned it to me, and I would like you to leave."

"Playing hard to get I see," Magnus laughed before his words registered in his mind. "Wait, the dean assigned you to this room?" Magnus frowned in confusion. He paid good money, good _extra_ money in order to make sure he never had to deal with some stupid roommate, so why was one turning up now? Especially since school had started almost three months ago. Besides, they always ended up complaining about his bad habits and requesting to switch rooms anyway. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts." Despite his mood, Magnus gave the boy a bright smile.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Alec nervously pressed his lips together. The man_—Magnus, _he reminded himself—was rather intimidating. And what was all this about this being _his _room? The dean definitely hadn't mentioned anything about a roommate…

But then again, it wasn't as if he had been giving him his full attention either.

It doesn't matter; he definitely didn't want to start any trouble. Alec had never been one to go looking for fights, and he wanted to avoid arguing with his so-called 'roommate' at all costs.

He looked towards Magnus and their eyes locked together; Alec's mind suddenly went blank. Feeling hypnotized by his flirtatious gaze, he stuttered slightly to find his words.

"I, uh… I'm—my name's Alec." _Smooth._ _Good first impression._ Alec's eyes darted to the clock, and he was relieved to see that it was a reasonable time to leave for his first day of classes. Without saying another word, he hopped up off the floor and over to his suitcase, which was yet to be unpacked. He picked out his outfit by grabbing the first things his hands touched before leaving his room with them, leaving a very confused Magnus behind.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Once Alec was gone, Magnus rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, "Alec, huh? Seems like a nervous kid." He then realized just what kind of fun he could have with a roommate like him. Perhaps his own behavior would cause the blue-eyed boy to be uncomfortable, he _did _seem like a goody-good. Now _that_ would be entertaining.

It was going to have to wait though, because Magnus had some sleep to catch up on. It's not like his first period class was important.


	4. Chapter 2

**Words cannot even begin to describe how happy I am that you guys like my story! Thank you for reading, and an EXTRA thank you to those who followed and reviewed! Also, to the reviewer by the name of Kira: Oh, how I wish you had an account that I could message you on! I have so many questions! Either way, I am beyond grateful for your advice, and will try my best to keep it in mind as I write. I also just want to apologize for taking so long to update, I'll eventually get a schedule going!**

Or maybe Magnus wasn't going to be catching up on his sleep…

With a sigh he sat up, running his fingers through his unkempt hair. He looked towards the door that Alec had just run through with a small frown on his face, wondering what could have caused him to leave so abruptly.

Magnus couldn't have made such a bad first impression, right? It was pretty understandable for him to have thought that Alec was just another one of his one-night stands. After all, his looks definitely lived up to Magnus' requirements. Those crystal blue eyes, dark hair, and pale skin… If that's what he looked like when he first woke up, then Magnus couldn't wait to see how good Alec looked when he tried.

Magnus got up from his bed and walked towards the bathroom, almost tripping over Alec's bag on his way there. He bit his lip as he stared down at it. It's not like he _wanted_ to be overly nosey, but how else should he react to getting a random roommate so long after school had already started? With a quick glance at the door once again, Magnus made sure it was still closed before he bent down next to Alec's bag and opened it.

Black, black, and more black. It seemed to be the only color clothing that Alec owned. Well that, and the slight variations of dark grey mixed within. Magnus wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to find from going through his things, but his roommates choice of wardrobe implied one thing: he was reserved and boring.

Magnus felt a mischievous smirk form on his lips, already thinking about how he would be able to change that.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Alec shook his head back and forth as he walked down the hall to the common bathroom. How embarrassing was that? Not only did he pretty much stutter to get his name out, he also just ran out of his own room like a fool.

Something about Magnus was shocking. Well, something to add to the fact that Alec had not been expecting to be waking up with someone next to him that morning. Perhaps it was his eyes, which, while strangely warm and inviting, were of a color Alec has never seen before. Or maybe it was the words that had came out of his mouth, which implied things that Alec couldn't even think about without blushing.

Alec changed into his clothes for the day, a black sweater with dark wash jeans. His choice of clothing wasn't anything new, he had been dressing this way as long as he could remember. The dark colors never stood out, allowing Alec to go unnoticed most of the time.

He used his fingers to brush his hair back and out of his eyes before gathering the clothes he had worn to bed in his arms. Alec knew he had to go back to his room, for in his rush to leave so quickly he hadn't even grabbed his backpack. Nervously biting his lip, Alec walked out of the bathroom and reluctantly back to his dorm room.

Once he reached the door, he stared at it for a moment. Alec hadn't noticed it the night before, but the door was adorned with a small whiteboard and a marker placed next to it. Magnus had written his name on it, the handwriting seeming far too elegant for the type of person Alec had already assumed him to be. With a shrug, Alec grabbed the marker and scribbled his own name below before putting it back and walking through the door.

Alec was relieved to see that while he was gone, his roommate had decided to get dressed, as he was no longer shirtless. Magnus was standing in front of the full body mirror, twisting his hair between his fingers, and getting it to stick out in different directions. He didn't even spare Alec a glance as he picked up his school bag from the floor, appearing to not have even noticed his return.

Alec had no complaints about that, but then again… He did want to make up for his stupidity earlier. Gripping the straps of his bag, he cleared his throat.

"I didn't know I was going to be having a roommate," Alec said. "So that's why I was quite a bit surprised. I apologize for sleeping in your bed."

Once Alec spoke, Magnus raised a questioning eyebrow at him in the mirror. While Magnus had known Alec was in the room, he figured he was too timid to actually say anything to him. He was soft spoken, yet had a firm tone at the same time. With a hint of a smirk on his lips, Magnus spoke as he began to apply his eyeliner.

"Don't worry about it. You're welcome to sleep with me whenever you please. In fact, I encourage that kind of behavior." Magnus let out a quiet laugh, looking at Alec through the mirror again.

Alec gasped very quietly before pressing his lips together, hoping that Magnus didn't hear him. Well, this was definitely no better than their first conversation. At least this time his mind wasn't clouded with sleep, and he was able to realize that Magnus was most likely mocking him.

"I don't even know you," said Alec. "And I'm not in to… Well you know." He shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to truthfully finish that response. That, however, was not something that Magnus needed to know. It's not like Alec made it obvious or anything.

Magnus finally turned around to face Alec and let his eyes slowly rake up and down his body. Nothing about the way he _dressed_ exactly screamed that he was gay. Once he looked back up to Alec's face, Magnus smiled at the redness in his cheeks; he was uncomfortable being observed in that way evidently. Not wanting to push the subject, at least for now, Magnus slung his bag over his shoulder and shrugged.

"Let me know when you've changed your mind." Magnus finished off the sentence with a wink before walking out of their room and leaving Alec behind, who stared after him in disbelief.


	5. Chapter 3

**So I've just realized that I haven't made a formal disclaimer! While I'm sure you all know, I (sadly) do not own Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, or any other familiar characters or concepts that were created by the lovely Cassandra Clare.**

A few minutes later—after he made sure had had everything he needed, again—Alec was making his way towards the school building. He decided that if there was one good thing about being forced to go to this school, it was how much longer he was able to sleep in the morning. At his old school, he needed to take two trains and a bus to get there, which meant he has to wake up hours before school actually started. Here, however, with the school building only a short walk across campus, Alec could fit in an extra hour or two of sleep every night.

Today was just another day of school to all the other students that Alec passed on his way. Laughing groups of friends, the girl with her nose in a book as she walked, the boy that clipped Alec's shoulder as he ran by: they were all blissfully unaware of Alec and the anxiety he was experiencing.

The thoughts that ran though Alec's mind were not the most encouraging ones. All he could think about was what his classmates would think of him. Would he make friends? Probably not.

It wasn't that Alec had trouble making friends; it was just that he had never put much of an effort into it. He'd grown up with his two best friends: his sister, Isabelle, and Jace, who may as well be considered his brother. They were the only two people, perhaps besides his _actual_ little brother, that Alec needed in his life.

Thinking of them caused an ache in Alec's heart. He didn't know when the next time he would see them would be. Now that he thought about it, Alec wasn't even sure if he was allowed back into his house. Surely he was, he had to go somewhere during school breaks. And even if he wasn't, he knew that Izzy would at least visit him occasionally.

After only a short time of walking, Alec arrived at the school building. It was the center of all the buildings on campus, which consisted of the boy and girl dorm rooms, the sports building, the teachers building, and the infirmary.

Alec took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the day ahead of him. He checked his map of the school one last time, locating both his locker and his first period class. With a nod, he folded up the map and placed it into his pocket. Alec knew that walking around while clutching a map all day would most definitely make him stick out. Finally, he walked up the stairs and through the doors of the building.

The halls were packed. Alec hadn't realized that so many people attended this school, and it seemed as if none of them were even in any of the classrooms yet, all of them waiting for the first period bell to ring. He hoped that didn't mean no one was even _allowed _in any of the classrooms this early.

Alec kept his head down and quickly weaved in and out between students, wanting to make it to his destination as soon as possible. He decided he would skip going to his locker right now, and avoid the most crowded halls. All he wanted to do was get inside a classroom, where there would be less people.

Within minutes, he made it to his first class of the day: Social Studies. No one else was in the classroom yet, but the open door signaled that Alec was allowed to go inside. He sighed in relief, at least he wouldn't get stuck sitting up front. Alec walked straight to the back of the classroom and took a seat at the desk in the corner, waiting for the class to start.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Alec's first two classes of the day went by uneventfully. While his classmates did seem confused as to why someone would just be transferring to a new school, no one actually said anything to him about it. All he could hope for was that the rest of the day, or even the rest of the year, would be like this.

Unfortunately, Alec had no such luck. He took his seat in English, in the back again, and was just taking out a notebook when he heard a familiar voice.

"First my bed, now my seat?" Magnus said sounding amused.

Alec's eyes widened slightly and he looked up at Magnus. "Oh. I didn't realize…" Alec looked down as he picked up his book and began to get up out of the seat, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, darling. I'd never make someone as pretty as you get up for me." Magnus smirked.

Alec looked back at Magnus and narrowed his eyes slightly. He wondered if he was making fun of him again, and decided that he probably was. Alec wasn't the kind of person to just allow himself to be treated that way. So Alec shrugged his shoulder out from under Magnus' hand and made a slightly disgusted noise, more to show that he didn't care than in actual disgust.

"It's fine, really." Alec said as he stood up, "I will get myself a different seat."

Alec didn't realize that Magnus had no idea what personal space was, until their faces were just inches from each other. Alec couldn't help but notice that he smelled mostly of smoke, and he wrinkled his nose up at the smell. Though under the overwhelming smell of cigarettes, there was a more appealing smell lingering, though Alec couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Magnus was looking down at Alec, who was surprisingly only a few inches shorter than him. He knew he was probably too close for the boy's comfort, but he never said he didn't enjoy making people uncomfortable.

He watched as Alec's nose wrinkled up, and although it was adorable, he felt insulted. "Is there a problem, Alec?"

Alec took a step back from Magnus and shook his head. "Nothing." With that, he walked to the front of classroom, choosing a new seat as far from Magnus as possible.

**Sorry for the late chapter, and such a short one. You know when you just can't seem to write anything that's ****_good?_**** Well that happened.**


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